Tag: AJ Green

Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic gets ejected for ugly shove on Bucks’ AJ Green

Chicago Bulls star Nikola Vucevic was ejected for an ugly shove on Milwaukee Bucks guard AJ Green.

The Chicago Bulls welcomed the red-hot Milwaukee Bucks to United Center on Friday night for an interdivisional matchup against one of the top teams in the East. Milwaukee ended up walking away with a relatively comfortable win over Chicago, taking home the 113-97 victory, but that didn’t stop things from getting chippy throughout the night.

One moment, in particular, stood out among the rest. Early in the fourth quarter, Nikola Vucevic had Bobby Portis on him in the post. He went for a bucket but missed, proceeding to complain to the refs that he thought he got fouled. Then, when AJ Green drove to the rim on the other end, he pushed him to the ground mid-air.

Vucevic ended up receiving a Flagrant 2 for the action, getting himself ejected from the game. It was a pretty ugly shove.

Vucevic finished the game with 17 points, nine rebounds, and three assists while shooting 8-of-18 from the field and 1-of-3 from beyond the three-point arc.

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Green finds new home in Stillwater for 2024

Arkansas will see former running back AJ Green in Week 2 next year, as the Tulsa native chose Oklahoma State out of the portal.

AJ Green landed on a destination just a week and a half into the 2024 calendar.

It just so happens to also be Arkansas’ Week 2 opponent next season.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys earned Green’s services, it was announced on his social media Wednesday.

Green, who starred at Tulsa Union before signing with Arkansas prior to the 2021 season, will have two years of eligibility with the Cowboys.

He ends his Razorback career with 201 carries for 953 yards and six touchdowns, but was never the feature back with Raheim Sanders and Dominique Johnson and Rashod Dubinion also splitting carries with him, along with Trelon Smith his freshman year.

The four-star recruit in high school had actually committed to Tulsa earlier in the week, but decommitted on Monday and ultimately settled on Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State.

It’s unlikely he has any chance of being the starter unless something happens injury-wise to Ollie Gordon, who is returning and will likely be a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Arkansas running back AJ Green enters transfer portal

Arkansas running back AJ Green has entered the transfer portal, becoming the second offensive player to do so since it opened on Monday morning.

[autotag]Arkansas football[/autotag] just lost their second offensive player of the day to the transfer portal.

Junior running back [autotag]AJ Green[/autotag] has entered the transfer portal after three seasons with the Razorbacks. Green posted to Twitter (X) to confirm the news saying, “I feel as though there is more that God has in store for me. Therefore, I have decided to enter my name into the transfer portal with one more year of eligibility.”

In his three seasons with the Razorbacks, Green had 201 rushes for 953 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 19 passes for 184 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Green’s most memorable moment came during Arkansas’ 2021 win over then-7th-ranked Texas A&M.

Jefferson found Green open on a wheel route, where he proceeded to break two tackles and “bounce off” a third to score a 48-yard touchdown, giving the Hogs a 17-0 lead. They’d go on to win the game 20-10.

Right now, Arkansas’ remaining running backs are Rocket Sanders, Rashod Dubinion, Dominique Johnson and Isaiah Augustave, but there’s a good chance that could change. Follow along with us at Razorbacks Wire for all of the latest transfer portal updates.

Tale of the Tape: Auburn vs Arkansas

The Auburn Tigers go into week 10 as slight underdogs against Arkansas on the road. Does the tale of the tape tell a different story?

The 5-4 Auburn Tigers have a chance to win three games in a row for the second time this season when they travel to 3-6 Arkansas on Saturday.

Auburn is coming off one of its better wins of the season, flashing offensive firepower on the road against Vanderbilt.

Arkansas is also coming off a solid road win, taking down Florida in overtime 36-33 for the Razorbacks’ first win in the SEC.

The big win in the swamp has oddsmakers confident Arkansas can keep it rolling at home, as BetMGM has the Hogs favored by 2.5 points on Saturday.

ESPN FPI lines up almost exactly with the books, giving the home team a 54% chance to send Auburn back to the Plains with a 5-5 record.

Will the tale of the tape show us the wrong team is favored in this SEC matchup, or will it prove Arkansas has the upper hand?

As always, we’ll start by looking at the quarterbacks.

Tigers quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] is playing his best football of the season at the right time.

Thorne has averaged 212 passing yards over the past 2 weeks, throwing for 5 touchdowns in that span. Most importantly, Thorne has only turned the ball over once, although that one turnover did turn into 6-points.

The two wins have significantly helped Thorne’s season stats. The junior has now passed for 1,269 yards this season in 9 games. He’s thrown 10 touchdowns, rushed for 2, and thrown 6 interceptions.

Arkansas quarterback [autotag]KJ Jefferson[/autotag] has been solid this year for the Razorbacks, throwing 16 touchdowns on his way to 1,802 passing yards.

The senior has been careless with the ball, turning it over at least once in every SEC game so far.

The long-time Razorback gets the edge in the quarterback battle because of his experience and leadership of the offense. He’s been the guy for Arkansas for three years now, while Thorne has only been “the guy” for Auburn in the last two weeks.

Arkansas may have the quarterback edge, but it’s Auburn that gets the edge on the rest of the offensive side of the ball.

Jefferson is the Razorbacks leading rusher this season. That would be fine if he were lighting it up on the ground like LSU quarterback Jalen Daniels, but Jefferson actually has fewer rushing yards (292) than Payton Thorne (337) does this year.

Arkansas employs a three running back committee featuring [autotag]AJ Green[/autotag], [autotag]Rashod Dubinion[/autotag], and [autotag]Raheim Sanders[/autotag]. The trio have combined for 740 yards on 183 carries this season. If those numbers don’t look great, that’s because they are.

Auburn’s top running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] missed the first game of the season but has ran for almost as many yards (636) on 75 less carries.

The Tigers have also been better in pass protection, as [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] has been sacked a total of 19 times this year. KJ Jefferson on the other hand has hit the turf 36 times.

[autotag]Hugh Freez[/autotag]e’s team gets the edge in offensive line play and skill position play.

On the defensive side of things, Auburn’s 13th-ranked defensive efficiency gives them a slight edge over a solid Razorbacks unit.

The Tigers are giving up 22.8 points per game to opponents this season, which ranks, 41st in the FBS.

The Arkansas defense isn’t too far behind, giving up an average of 25.8 points per game, which ranks 55th.

Auburn gets the slight edge, but things become even considering the game is being played in Fayetteville.

After looking at the tale of the tape, it’s hard to argue with the experts this week. This game is going to be a toss-up. The home team gets the ever-so-slight edge in this one.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Watch: Arkansas absolutely marches down the field on first drive against Florida

The Kenny Guiton Effect is real for Arkansas. At least to start things against Florida.

Kenny Guiton’s start as Arkansas offensive coordinator could have been better.

In his first game calling plays after taking over for the now-fired Dan Enos, Guiton’s Razorbacks scored a touchdown on the first drive of the game against Florida. Running back AJ Green caught a touchdown pass in the flat from KJ Jefferson as Jefferson was perfect on the drive.

Enos was fired after Arkansas scored just three points against Mississippi State two weeks ago. Guiton was promoted from wide receivers coach. On his first play call, Green took a direct snap, handed the ball to Jefferson and the quarterback hooked up with Ty Washington for a gain of 25 yards.

Arkansas has never beaten Florida on the road in Gainesville.

Mississippi State at Arkansas: Players to Watch on Saturday

Arkansas and Mississippi State will each be battling for their first SEC win of the season on Saturday.

Something must give Saturday inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, as two of the four remaining teams yet to win an SEC game, will go head-to-head.

It will be the first time in five weeks that the Razorbacks (2-5, 0-4 SEC) will be playing on their home turf, as they look to snap a five-game losing streak.

Mississippi State (3-3, 0-3 SEC) will also come limping in, losing three of their last four, but are fresh off of a 41-28 win over Western Michigan.

The game will feature two quarterbacks who had high expectations entering the season, but who have both struggled to have success in SEC games. Arkansas’ KJ Jefferson was voted second-team All-SEC in the coaches preseason poll, while Mississippi State’s Will Rogers was the third-team selection.

The game will also showcase the conference’s top three tacklers, in Razorback linebacker Jaheim Thomas, the conference leader, and Bulldogs’ linebackers Nathaniel Watson and Jett Johnson.

Here are 12 Players to Watch in Saturday’s showdown:

KJ Jefferson proves he’s still Arkansas’ best, named Player of the Game vs Alabama

Arkansas would actually be one of those bad teams its most angry fans think if it weren’t for KJ Jefferson.

KJ Jefferson’s 2023 season has not gone to plan. The preseason second-team All-SEC pick was even a dark horse pick for All-American honors by season’s end. Arkansas’ struggles through its first seven games have all but eliminated those.

But more important to Jefferson and his teammates is what the Razorbacks do on the field, as opposed to the plaudits earned off it. And even in Saturday’s loss against Alabama, proof was positive that Jefferson, a three-starter and fifth-year senior, is the best man to lead the Hogs on the field, earning our top selection as Arkansas’ Player of the Game.

Joining him were kicker Cam Little, running back AJ Green, linebacker Jaheim Thomas and defense end Landon Jackson.

Check out more on each of their performances below as the selections from editor E. Wayne and contributors Steve Andrews, Connor Goodson and Derek Oxford come in.

WATCH: AJ Green’s second touchdown builds Arkansas’ lead vs BYU

With his third-quarter TD run, AJ Green achieved the first multi-touchdown of his career.

AJ Green has the speed. He always had.

Early in the third quarter against Brigham Young, he showed has some strength, too.

Green ran for a seven-yard touchdown up the middle to cap a four-play, 54-yard drive for Arkansas that provided the Razorbacks a two-score lead, 31-21, with 11:41 left in the quarter.

The touchdown was Green’s second of the day after he opened the scoring on the first drive of the game with a 55-yard touchdown run. By adding the second touchdown, the junior picked up his first career multi-touchdown game.

Even besides the score, the third-quarter drive was evidence Arkansas’ offensive troubles had largely disappeared. The Razorbacks punted on five straight drives over the course of the first and second quarters and picked up just 25 yards total.

KJ Jefferson and Luke Hasz tied the game at 21 with a 19-yard throw and catch late in the second to cap a 10-play, 70-yard drive and Cam Little provided the Razorbacks with a lead going into halftime with a 26-yard field goal that capped a five-play, 36-yard drive immediately after.

Green’s third-quarter touchdown came on Arkansas’ first possession of the half.

It’s baaack! Check out AJ Green’s first-quarter touchdown run against BYU

Fifty-five yards in a hurry. Green remains one of the fastest players on the Arkansas roster. The touchdown was proof.

Most of the concern about the Arkansas football team two weeks into the season centered around a running game that had fallen well short of its 2023 standards.

And while that hasn’t been cured, positive signs took little time to peek Saturday against Brigham Young.

Running back AJ Green, on the fourth play of the game, scampered 55 yards around the right side, up the sideline, hopping over a would-be tackler en route to the end zone to give Arkansas a quick 7-0 lead.

The Razorbacks ran for 63 yards on the drive with two carries for Green and one for quarterback KJ Jefferson. That yardage total is already a third of what Arkansas gained in its Week 2 win over Kent State and more than half of what it had in the opener against Western Carolina.

Green, Jeffcoat relish ‘game-type’ mode at Hogs’ practice this week

AJ Green and Trajan Jeffcoat shared some insight during the “Sam Pittman Live” radio show Wednesday night.

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman challenged his team this week. And through the first three practices leading up to the BYU game, the Razorbacks have prepared with a game-type atmosphere, according to junior running back AJ Green.

Green and senior defensive end Trajan Jeffcoat were guests on the “Sam Pittman Live” radio show at the Catfish Hole Wednesday night. Both offered some insight as to what the focus and preparation has been like for Saturday’s game against a Big 12 opponent.

“We didn’t really play up to our standards against Kent State,” Green admitted. “So, coming in on Monday I already knew that practice was going to be like a game-type deal. And that’s been everybody’s mindset this week. We are all just flying around, correcting the mistakes that we made in that game, and getting better every day.”

Green started in the backfield against the Golden Flashes, replacing injured starter Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, and responded with 82 yards on 15 carries, for a 5.5 yard average. He will likely be the lead ball-carrier again this week as Sanders is slated to miss another game.

With first-year offensive coordinator Dan Enos installing a new offense this season, the Razorbacks have continued to adjust in the first two games, but hope to have things ironed out for the Cougars.

“This is still a new offense for all of us, so we are all still learning it, trying to perfect our craft,” Green said. “We’ve obviously got some new people on the line, some people have left, so we are still getting comfortable with each other. We’re just going to keep getting better. That’s what we are working on every week.”

He said Sanders, who has been hampered by a sore knee, has remained a vital part of the running back room, helping out in any way he can.

“He’s still in there with us, watching film and stuff,” Green said. “He’s always in our ear telling us stuff, and helping us out with the plays.”

The defense has looked sharp through the first two games, allowing just one total touchdown in the pair of victories. But Jeffcoat, who was just named SEC Defensive Player of the Week, said the grind continues to keep improving.

The Missouri transfer was a big factor in the win over Kent State, recording three tackles, with two tackles for loss of 11 yards, and added a career-high 1.5 sacks, for a loss of nine yards. He made a huge play at the goal line to help keep the Golden Flashes out of the end zone, and helped Arkansas hold their opponents to just 26 total rushing yards – the fewest by a Razorback opponent since New Mexico State gained just 11 yards, in 2017.

“Every day, we are just out there getting better,” he said. “Every day, everybody makes plays. As a unit we look at it as we have a lot of ammunition for every team. Everybody on our defensive line is good — our whole defense is good this year. It’s a great companionship out there. We just reload and keep going.”

Green, who has to face that defensive front in practice, totally agrees.

“They are all super good and they just roll,” he said. “They can wear an offensive line out, easily. They know how to get off the edge. They know how to win inside. It’s hard going against them everyday, but it gives us great looks. And I think that’s why our offensive line and running game is going to get way better.”

Jeffcoat said they have studied the film and game-planned for the Cougars. Now it’s just a matter of hitting the field and performing.

“It’s definitely going to be a dog fight, and we respect the other team, but we also know who we are,” he said.